Supreme Court strikes out Oni's suit, re-affirms Fayemi’s election

Fayemi

 The Supreme Court  had in its 7-man unanimous ruling struck out petitions filed by ousted Governor of  Ekiti State, Mr Segun Oni against the ruling of the Court of Appeal, sitting in Ado-Ekiti that re-affirmed the election of Dr. Kayode Fayemi as earlier delivered by an Ilorin Appeal Court on October 15,  2010.

The judgement laid to rest the nation’s longest election petition that spanned from 2007 to 20

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It was jubilation in Ekiti State as the Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the Oni suit. Ado- Ekiti, the state capital was agog as the news of Fayemi’s victory reached his supporters and well-wishers who took to the streets  in their thousands to celebrate the long-awaited verdict. The supporters who held their brooms, the symbol of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), sang various songs of solidarity and victory; chanting different slogans including the popular “4+4= 8″ and “JKF- Just Keep Faith”, “Eyiyato” among others.

There was traffic congestion on both lanes from Fajuyi to Old Garage, with different groups and bands singing and dancing, while commuters took alternative routes through Oke Ori Omi- Aremu- Irona road and Ile Abiye- GRA- Fajuyi road to get to their destinations.

Addressing the party’s supporters in Ado Ekiti, the Deputy Governor, Professor Modupe Adelabu, wife of the Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, the SSG, Alhaji Ganiyu Owolabi and the Chief of Staff, Mr Yemi Adaramodu thanked the people for supporting the party and Governor Fayemi throughout the judicial tussle.

They assured that the Fayemi-led administration would not relent in pursuing people-oriented programmes and projects as spelt out in the 8-point agenda of the administration.

Fayemi lauds judiciary

Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi  has lauded the  judiciary for  its resolve to always uphold the tenet of truth and justice following the Supreme Court’s   dismissal of  the petition against him by ousted governor of Ekiti State, Mr Segun Oni

Oni  had sought a review of the Court of Appeal ruling on Ekiti State governorship on October 15, 2010, but the Supreme Court in a unanimous judgment ruled that it had no jurisdiction on the matter.

Fayemi  also thanked all Ekiti people  for their  support  for his administration and for believing  in the sanctity of truth.

He said Friday’s victory has again confirmed that truth will always prevail no matter the situation and that Ekiti State will no longer  be governed through fraudulent means.

Governor Fayemi who addressed journalists at the Ekiti State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja shortly after the  judgement of the Supreme Court, said there was no basis for the petition by Oni, adding that his claims were frivolous, baseless and a waste of time.

Oni, Fayemi said had sought to use the frivolous case , which had spanned over two years, to distract him from actualising the developmental efforts going on in Ekiti State, and to give a false hope to his followers.

He however said that in spite of the long drawn legal battle, he had refused to be distracted, stressing that this is evident in the  transformation going on in the state and the value that the administration has added to the lives of the average citizens.

Fayemi said it was high time electoral offenders were punished under the law to serve as a deterrent to others and to clean up the electoral process.

 “Oni and his jesters merely sought to use this case to distract us, but we refused to be distracted. We have remained focused all through concentrating on the development of the state and this is evident in the lives of the people.

“I think we should also put in place laws that will punish electoral offenders. I believe if Oni had been punished for rigging the 2007 governorship election in Ekiti State, he would not have had the effrontery to approach the court again seeking a backdoor to the governorship seat. It is sad that he rigged the 2007 election and was at the helms of affair of the state illegally for three and a  half years, while I, the winner of the election was in court until the case was eventually decided in my favour in 2010 at the Court of Appeal.

“If the court having found Oni guilty of  fraudulently occupying the governorship seat of Ekiti State and  had gone ahead to punish him then, we would have been spared  this unnecessary case, which to me only shows how desperate some people can be, ” Fayemi stated